jaymdee

Cheers guys. I agree - I don't need another performance/fun car on top of the 2 I've already got. Therefore I'm tending towards a fully spec'd Volvo (not sure which one) even if it's only a 1.6, driving 600 miles a week on the motorway it should be fine. (Yes - that IS the list. The full company car list has the new BMW 335i coupe, Z4M, SLK350, Audi S4 etc on it, but I'm not at that grade - yet )

I've got a Hitatchi 32" Plasma, which is about 2.5 years old now - can't fault the picture. LCD weren't as good as Plasma when I got this.

No cash option I'm afraid. It's a car for work to save on hassle and cost of hire cars. A further consideration is that a diesel would allow me to actually save about £1200 a year to spend on the Supra and Integrale. The Polo GTI and Fiesta ST wouldn't, but they'd be more fun TBH, I quite like the idea of the C30 or S40. Yes, I'm keeping Supra and most likely the Integrale aswell, although being a 3 car family would be a bit excessive. . . . . especially as I'm the only member

I'm being offered the option of getting a car from work as an 'Essential User' vehicle because I do over 12,000 business miles a year. Because this is not a promotion, I can't get a really good car, but the list has: Ford Fiesta (inc ST, 1.6tdci) Ford Focus (not inc ST) VW Polo (inc GTI & Sport tdi100) Volvo C30 1.6 S coupe Volvo S40 1.6 S saloon If I get a diesel I'll save money over petrol, but I'd rather the either the Fiesta ST or Polo GTI. I could get a nicely spec'd Volvo (leather SatNav etc), but they're only 1.6. Lets have a poll to see what you lot think. Something to consider is that if I do get promoted, I may still have to keep this car for a few years. J

Why? I had an Apexi and could tell it restricted the air flow more than stock from the way the car responded to the throttle, and when hot, the car definately felt under-powered

That is a sweet ride!!

I'm also looking at Bora's. You seem to be able to get a decent TDI130 for about £1500 less than the same Golf and they're cheaper insurance

I counted 3 - yes, I guess I do scan on the net and missed out the little words. D'oh!

Well done (sort of) Darryl. Any plans for a runabout?

They might have done, but only for NEW cars, not existing cars. The Supra never had a formal factory CO2 figure anyway

Erm, joined in Dec 2005 - not exactly new. Really should have found the search button by now. LOL at Nic

Well, I'm please that Kimi won, rather than Alonso (who should be kicked out of racing). Maclaren should sack their strategist. First off running on bald tyres in China, now going for 3 stopper??? WTF - if I made crap decisions like that at work, I'd be sacked

Hi mate - have these got the Volk Racing centre pieces as well as the gold nuts?

Bloody hell Nic, sorry to read this. Hope you can get it sorted, but understand the paranoia setting in.

Nice looking car for a runabout. What sort of MPG does it return please?

Excellent write up. Will defiately have another really good read over weekend and see if I think my DIY skills are up to it

My car has cost me approx £3600 per year for the last 4 years, EXCLUDING petrol. So thats insurance, servicing, MOT, tyres, modifications, some repairs (expensive). Also account for depreciation, which will be approx £1K per year, so that's about £300 per month + £170 per month petrol + £80 depreciation = £550 per month all in

Insurance is all about transferance of risk. In this country car insurance is a legal requirement set by the Government, so someone needs to offer it. You'll probably find motor claims are offset by house claims or business claims etc. However, the companies will have loads of data on which age groups, demographics etc are most likely to crash which types of cars, and set the figures based around that. All about risk events, causes, probability and impact.

Definately wouldn't even bother trying to drive the Supra in the snow - asking for trouble

Yep. Very loud on a long motorway journey. Can give you real head ache

Just a point mate. In 3 miles the engine oil won't have warmed up, so don't go planting your foot, or you risk buggering the turbos due to lack of oil. Usually takes at least 5 mins, I always wait 10 before boosting. You may find that you won't get the use out a turbo car, unless you plan to drive it a lot at weekends etc

As JamesG says, don't think there are any figures. What is fuel scale charge?

Take the BOV off and if you block the small vacuum nozzle with your finger and can blow through the large pipes, then its bust. It should be able to withstand at least 1.5 Bar (mine did when I tested it) if you apply a pressure to the vacuum line, and seal it, then apply a pressure to the large pipe as though it was coming form the turbos. Any 'farting' type sounds and it's probably had it

Yes please to posting templates. I've been wondering about this, but not sure where to start. Well done, looks good

Brian, I think it only selects 2nd when you stop to pull away again. When in MANU mode, I've never had it select 2nd when moving, even very slowly. bmx1lew: D or 3rd is good for about 130 (I think), so you don't need any more gears if you're on a spirited cross country run